Opening Gates: Reflecting on the liaison role of DEFSA at a tertiary level

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Design Education Research

The paper reflects on how DEFSA has delivered on the Forum’s first aim, with specific focus on the liaison activities that takes place at a tertiary level. This aim, as documented in the DEFSA Constitution, reads “Ensuring that liaison is maintained between relevant primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education in matters pertaining to design education, between technikons, universities, technical colleges, private institutions, education authorities and the design industry” (DEFSA, 2007a).

Mirror-Mirror-On The Wall

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Discipline:

Design Education Research

A Structured Reflection Framework To Implement Visual Research As Practise-Based Arts
Research Design Illustrated Within An Applied Photographic Educational Context

Although various South African universities engage with art practice research methodologies, the research designs employed have not been clearly articulated or interrogated as of yet, leaving some work to be done towards answering Loxley and Prosser’s (2005) call for a refinement of arts-based research methods.

Design Thinking – Crossing Disciplinary Borders

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Design Education Research

Design thinking, a well known topic of discussion in the design discourse, offers exciting innovative possibilities when applied in other disciplines. This paper explores the potential of design thinking in the seemingly disparate discipline of Operations Research/Management Science (OR/MS). OR/MS develops mathematical models for analysis based on quantitative logic as an answer to management or other real life problems. Design shares this concern with trying to improve current situations but approaches these problems differently, using ‘designerly ways of thinking’.

Testing the effectiveness of student selection

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Design Education Research

In South Africa places in higher education programmes are valuable yet perilous for both the students enrolling for studies and for the institutions enrolling the students. For both, any studies which are unsuccessful or not completed are an increasingly costly misuse of time, money, resources and reputation.

On the part of the institutions, one of the actions intended to minimize this risk is rigorous student selection.

A framework for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Technology Research

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Design Education Research

A framework for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Technology Research: A cross-cultural Indo-South African research project.

The craft sector is currently one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. It involves commercial and industrial interest in the manufacturing, marketing and design aspects. Within this proposed project we will focus on the study and development of traditional and appropriate technologies in the manufacturing processes of crafts.

Modern techniques will be adapted, adopted and incorporated with traditional technology. Research done on ground level will help to identify rural development projects, problem areas and technological innovation possibilities.